Australian cruisers increased 20% in 2013

The number of Australians who cruised in 2013 rose 20%, outpacing every other sizable cruise market, CLIA Australasia said in a report.

Australia’s growth surpassed Germany (9%), France (9%), North America (3%) and the U.K./Ireland (1%), according to the report’s executive summary.

Last year, 833,348 Australians cruised, up from 694,062 in 2012.

More than 11.7 million passengers from the United States and Canada cruised last year, according to CLIA. But Australia’s growth means that 3.7% of its total population has been on a cruise, exceeding the 3.3% figure for North America.

CLIA Australasia projected it will reach the 1 million passenger threshold by 2016; a previous forecast targeted 2020. ___